Vehicle seat

ABSTRACT

A vehicle seat includes: a chamber in which at least a seat-front-surface side is covered with a pad and which circulates the air blown from a front surface of a seat through the pad; a fan configured to send air into the chamber; and a support body which supports the chamber so as to be able to sink in an acting direction of a load applied to the surface of the seat. The chamber includes a first region and a second region, and the first region and the second region are configured to allow subduction of the chamber independently of each other.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/703,011 filed on Dec. 4, 2019, which claims the benefit of priorityfrom Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-237303, filed on Dec. 19,2018, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-063694, filed on Mar. 28,2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat.

2. Description of the Related Art

A seat cushion of a seat installed in a vehicle such as an automobileincludes a pad and a frame which supports the pad. The frame typicallyincludes a pair of side frames, a front frame and a rear frameconnecting the pair of side frames, and a plurality of springs suspendedbetween the front frame and the rear frame. Also known is an airconditioning seat which further includes a chamber covered with a padand a fan sending air into the chamber and blows air from a surface ofthe seat cushion through the pad (see JP-A-2003-165325 andJP-A-2012-105816, for example).

The load applied to a rear side of the seat cushion which supports thebuttocks of a seated person is greater than the load applied to a frontside of the seat cushion which supports the thighs of the seated person.Whereas the pad is supported by the front frame on the front side of theseat cushion, the pad is supported by the plurality of springs on therear side of the seat cushion where a relatively great load is applied.For this reason, the rear side of the seat cushion sinks below ratherthan the front part side of the seat cushion.

The chamber provided in the air conditioning seat described inJP-A-2003-165325 and JP-A-2012-105816 is relatively rigid. Due to adifference in the amount of sedimentation between the front and rearsides of the seat cushion, the chamber pivots around the front frame. Asa result, the front portion of the chamber is lifted and the thighs of aseated person are pressed, and thus sitting comfort may be reduced.

In the seat described in JP-A-2003-165325, the air flow path is formedby a cushion pad. In this case, the cushion pad is deformed when theweight of an occupant is loaded and the air flow path is crushed due tothe deformation of the cushion pad, and thus there is a possibility thatthe air flow is delayed.

On the contrary, in the seat described in JP-A-2015-105816, the air flowpath is formed by a duct made of a resin tubular member. In this case,the air flow path is maintained even when the weight of an occupant isloaded. However, the presence of a rigid chamber such as a duct insidethe cushion pad may impair sitting comfort. For example, in the seatcushion, when an occupant puts weight on one of the left and rightsides, one side of the chamber sinks, but due to the rigidity of thechamber, the other side of the chamber may be lifted and the other sideof the occupant may be pushed up by the chamber.

SUMMARY

The invention has been made in view of the circumstances described aboveand an object thereof is to provide a vehicle seat which can enhanceseating comfort of a vehicle seat including a chamber for airconditioning.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a vehicleseat, including: a chamber in which at least a seat-front-surface sideis covered with a pad and which circulates the air blown from a frontsurface of a seat through the pad; a fan configured to send air into thechamber; and a support body which supports the chamber so as to be ableto sink in an acting direction of a load applied to the surface of theseat, wherein: the chamber includes a first region and a second region;and the first region and the second region are configured to allowsubduction of the chamber independently of each other.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided avehicle seat, including: a chamber in which at least aseat-front-surface side is covered with a pad and which circulates theair blown from a front surface of a seat through the pad; a fan whichsends air into the chamber; and a support body which supports thechamber so as to be able to sink in an acting direction of a loadapplied to the surface of the seat, wherein: the chamber includes: afirst region located on one side in a seat width direction; and a secondregion located on the other side in the seat width direction; and thefirst region and the second region are configured to bend and deformindependently of each other in the acting direction of the load.

According to a still another aspect of the invention, there is provideda vehicle seat, including: a chamber in which at least aseat-cushion-front-surface side is covered with a pad and whichcirculates the air blown from a front surface of a seat cushion throughthe pad; a fan which sends air into the chamber; and a support bodywhich supports the chamber so as to be able to sink in an actingdirection of a load applied to the front surface of the seat cushion,wherein: the chamber includes: a front region located on a front portionof the seat cushion; and a rear region located on a rear portion of theseat cushion; and the front region and the rear region are configured tobend and deform independently of each other in the acting direction ofthe load.

According to a still another aspect of the invention, there is provideda vehicle seat, including: a chamber in which at least aseat-back-front-surface side is covered with a pad and which circulatesthe air blown from a front surface of a seat back through the pad; a fanwhich sends air into the chamber; and a support body which supports thechamber so as to be able to sink in an acting direction of a loadapplied to the front surface of the seat back, wherein: the chamberincludes: an upper region located on an upper portion of the seat back;and a lower region located on a lower portion of the seat back; and theupper region and the lower region can bend and deform independently ofeach other in the acting direction of the load.

According to a still another aspect of the invention, there is provideda vehicle seat, including: a chamber in which at least a front-surfaceside of a seat cushion is covered with a pad and which circulates theair blown from a surface of the seat cushion through the pad; a fanwhich sends air into the chamber; and a frame which supports the pad andthe chamber, wherein: the frame includes: a front frame disposed belowthe pad and the chamber on a front side of the seat cushion; and aplurality of springs disposed below the pad and the chamber on a rearside of the seat cushion; and the chamber includes: a front chamberdisposed on the front side of the seat cushion; a rear chamber disposedon the rear side of the seat cushion; and a first movable portion whichis provided between the front chamber and the rear chamber and allowsthe rear chamber to sink with regard to the front chamber.

According to the invention, the seating comfort of a vehicle seatincluding a chamber for air conditioning can be improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from thedetailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawingwhich is given by way of illustration only, and thus is not limitativeof the present invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an example of a seat cushion of avehicle seat for explaining an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a chamber of FIG. 1:

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the chamber of FIG. 2 taken alongthe line III-III;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion surrounded by a broken lineframe IV of the chamber in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of thechamber of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a modification example of a seat in FIG.1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of another example of the chamber of FIG.1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of still another example of the chamber ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of another example of the chamber ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a chamber provided on a seat back of avehicle seat for explaining an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the chamber of FIG. 10 taken alongthe line XI-XI;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a vehicleseat for explaining an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a chamber of FIG. 12;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are cross-sectional views of a fitting portion of afront chamber and a rear chamber of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operation of thechamber of FIG. 12;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are side views of a modification example of thechamber of FIG. 12;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a chamber of another example of avehicle seat for explaining an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 18A and 18B are cross-sectional views of a fitting portion of arear chamber and a side chamber of FIG. 17; and

FIGS. 19A and 19B are side views of a modification example of thechamber of FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a vehicle seat for explaining anembodiment of the invention.

A vehicle seat (hereinafter also simply referred to as a seat) 1illustrated in FIG. 1 is a seat installed in a vehicle such as anautomobile, for example. The seat 1 includes a seat cushion 2 whichsupports the buttocks and thighs of an occupant seated on a seat and aseat back (not illustrated) which supports the waist and back of theoccupant.

The seat cushion 2 includes a pad 21 made of a foam material such asurethane foam, a chamber 4, a fan 5 for sending air into the chamber 4,and a frame 22 which supports the pad 21 and the chamber 4. The air sentinto the chamber 4 by the fan 5 flows inside the chamber 4 and is blownout from the surface of the seat cushion 2 through the pad 21 whichcovers a seat-cushion-front-surface-side of the chamber 4. By blowingair from the surface of the seat cushion 2, the temperature and humidityof the surface of the seat cushion 2 in contact with an occupant areadjusted. The pad 21 is covered with a trim cover made of leather, wovenfabric, non-woven fabric, knitted fabric, or the like, and among those,when the trim cover is made of leather, the trim cover is provided witha large number of air holes and the air permeability of the trim coveris ensured.

The frame 22 includes a pair of side frames (not illustrated), a frontframe 23 and a rear frame 24 which connect the pair of side frames, anda plurality of springs 25 which are suspended between the front frame 23and the rear frame 24. The spring 25 is a metal wire member bent into awave shape and a planar shape. The chamber 4 includes a front region 4 fdisposed in the front portion of the seat cushion which supports thethighs of an occupant and a rear region 4 r disposed in the rear portionof the seat cushion which supports the buttocks of the occupant. Thefront frame 23 is disposed below the front region 4 f of the chamber 4and the springs 25 are disposed below the rear region 4 r of the chamber4.

The back surface of the chamber 4, which is the surface on an oppositeside to the seat-cushion-front-surface side, is covered with the pad 21.The front region 4 f of the chamber 4 is supported by the front frame 23via the pad 21 which covers the back surface of the chamber 4. The rearregion 4 r of the chamber 4 is supported by the springs 25 via the pad21 which covers the back surface of the chamber 4. When a load of anoccupant is applied to the seat cushion 2, the front region 4 f of thechamber 4 sinks with the compression of the pad 21. The rear region 4 rof the chamber 4 sinks with the deflection of the springs 25 in additionto the compression of the pad 21. From the viewpoint of suppressing anincrease in the thickness of the seat cushion 2 associated with theinstallation of the chamber 4, it is preferable that the back surface ofthe rear region 4 r of the chamber 4 is exposed.

In an example illustrated in FIG. 1, a part of the back surface of thechamber 4 is exposed and the fan 5 is directly attached to the exposedback surface of the chamber 4. However, the attachment location of thefan 5 is not particularly limited. The fan 5 may be connected to thechamber 4 via a tube. In this case, the fan 5 may be attached to thefront frame 23 or the rear frame 24, for example.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate an example of the chamber 4.

The chamber 4 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes a first member 40disposed on the seat-cushion-front-surface side and a second member 41disposed on the seat-cushion-rear-surface side. The first member 40 andthe second member 41 are plate-like members made of a resin materialsuch as polypropylene, for example. The first member 40 and the secondmember 41 are combined to form an air circulation space between thefirst member 40 and the second member 41.

The first member 40 disposed on the seat-cushion-front-surface side isprovided with a plurality of air holes 42. The air flowing through thecirculation space is blown out from the air hole 42 and blown out fromthe surface of the seat cushion 2 through the pad 21 covering theseat-cushion-surface side of the chamber 4.

A boss is provided on at least one of the first member 40 and the secondmember 41 so that the circulation space is maintained even when a loadof an occupant is applied to the seat cushion 2. In an exampleillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of bosses 43 are provided onthe first member 40 on the seat-cushion-front-surface side. The boss 43protrudes from the first member 40 in an opposing direction of the firstmember 40 and the second member 41 and the circulation space ismaintained by the boss 43 abutting on the second member 41.

The rear region 4 r of the chamber 4 is provided with a first region 4 adisposed on one side in a seat width direction and a second region 4 bdisposed on the other side in the seat width direction. The first region4 a is located below a left part of the buttocks and the second region 4b is located below a right part of the buttocks of the occupant. Thefirst region 4 a and the second region 4 b are curved in a concave shapein which a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction ofthe seat is lowered with respect to both end portions along thebuttocks. The first region 4 a and the second region 4 b are configuredto be able to bend and deform independently from each other toward adownward direction which is an acting direction in which the load of theoccupant acts on the seat cushion 2.

First, the first member 40 on the seat-cushion-front-surface side isprovided with slits 44 to 46 extending in the front-rear direction ofthe seat with an interval in the seat width direction. The slit 44 andthe slit 45 interpose the first region 4 a in the seat width directionand the slit 45 and the slit 46 interpose the second region 4 b in theseat width direction. The slit 45 is commonly used for the pair of firstslits interposing the first region 4 a and the pair of second slitsinterposing the second region 4 b. However, the configuration of theslit 45 may be different.

The second member 41 on the seat-cushion-back-surface side is moreflexible than the first member 40. As illustrated in FIG. 4, on theouter surface of the second member 41, a large number of concave grooves55 extending in the front-rear direction of the seat are formed atintervals in the seat width direction, and the flexibility is enhancedby those concave grooves 55. In addition, the second member 41 may beformed more flexible than the first member 40 by making the secondmember 41 relatively thin or by making the second member 41 of arelatively flexible resin material.

In addition, slits 48 are provided at end portions 47 on both sides inthe seat width direction of the first member 40 and end portions 49 onboth sides in the seat width direction of the second member 41 areinserted into the slits 48. The end portion 49 of the second member 41inserted into the slit 48 is engaged with the end portion 47 of thefirst member 40 so as to be displaceable in the seat width directionwith respect to the end portion 47 of the first member 40.

FIG. 5 illustrates an operation of the chamber 4.

In an example illustrated in FIG. 5, the occupant puts weight on theleft buttock and the load of the occupant is mainly input to the firstregion 4 a in the rear region 4 r of the chamber 4. The load input tothe first region 4 a is transmitted to the second member 41 through thebosses 43 of the first member 40. Based on the load transmitted to thesecond member 41, among the end portions 49 of the second member 41 onboth sides in the seat width direction, the end portion 49 on the firstregion 4 a side is drawn toward the center in the seat width direction.By drawing the end portion 49 of the second member 41 on the firstregion 4 a side, the second member 41 sinks downward in the first region4 a and the first member 40 also sinks downward in the first region 4 a.The second region 4 b separated from the first region 4 a by the slit 45of the first member 40 is not dragged by the sinking of the first region4 a and the first region 4 a bends independently of the second region 4b.

Thus, since the first region 4 a and the second region 4 b can bend anddeform independently of each other, lifting of the second region 4 b inconjunction with the sinking of the first region 4 a is suppressed, andthus the right buttock of the occupant is also suppressed from beingpushed up by the second region 4 b. Thus, the sitting comfort of theseat 1 is increased.

In the example described above, it is described such that the pluralityof springs 25 are arranged below chamber 4 and the chamber 4 issupported by the springs 25 so as to be able to sink downward. However,the support mode of the chamber 4 is not particularly limited. Forexample, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the plurality of springs 27 may bestretched between a pair of side frames 26 and the chamber 4 and thechamber 4 may be hung by the springs 27. Also, in this case, the chamber4 can be supported to sink downward.

FIGS. 7 to 9 illustrate other examples of the chamber 4.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the front region 4 f and the rearregion 4 r of the chamber 4 are configured to be able to bend and deformindependently of each other toward a downward direction which is anacting direction in which the load of the occupant acts on the seatcushion 2.

The first member 40 on the seat-cushion-front-surface side is providedwith slits 50 to 52 extending in the seat width direction with aninterval in the front-rear direction of the seat. The slit 50 and theslit 51 interpose the front region 4 f in the front-rear direction ofthe seat and the slit 51 and the slit 52 interpose the rear region 4 rin the seat width direction.

The second member 41 on the seat-cushion-back-surface side is moreflexible than the first member 40. In addition, the end portions of thesecond member 41 on both sides in the front-rear direction of the seatengage with the end portions of the first member 40 on both sides in thefront-rear direction of the seat to be displaced in the front-reardirection of the seat with respect to the end portions of the firstmember 40 on both sides in the front-rear direction of the seat.

For example, when the occupant puts weight on the buttocks and the loadof the occupant is mainly input to the rear region 4 r of the chamber 4,the load input to the rear region 4 r is transmitted to the secondmember 41 through the bosses 43 of the first member 40. Therefore, amongthe end portions of the second member 41 on both sides in the front-reardirection of the seat, the end portion on the rear region 4 r side isdrawn toward the center in the seat width direction. Thus, the secondmember 41 sinks downward in the rear region 4 r and the first member 40also sinks downward in the rear region 4 r. The front region 4 fseparated from the rear region 4 r by the slit 51 of the first member 40is not dragged by the sinking of the rear region 4 r and the rear region4 r bends independently of the front region 4 f.

Since the front region 4 f and the rear region 4 r can bend and deformindependently of each other, lifting of the front region 4 f inconjunction with the sinking of the rear region 4 r is suppressed, andthus the thighs of the occupant are also prevented from being pushed upby the front region 4 f Thus, the sitting comfort of the seat 1 isincreased.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, similar to the example illustrated inFIG. 7, the front region 4 f and the rear region 4 r of the chamber 4are configured to be able to bend and deform independently of eachother, and further, similar to the example illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3,the first region 4 a and the second region 4 b in the rear region 4 rare configured to be able to bend and deform independently of eachother.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the second member 41 is made of anairtight sheet material having elasticity. Such a sheet material is asheet material made of a rubber material such as chloroprene rubber, forexample. For example, when the occupant puts weight on the left buttockand the load of the occupant is mainly input to the first region 4 a ofthe chamber 4, the load input to the first region 4 a is transmitted tothe second member 41 through the bosses 43 of the first member 40 andthe second member 41 sinks downward in the first region 4 a based on itselasticity. The first member 40 also sinks downward in the first region4 a and the first region 4 a of the chamber 4 bends independently of thesecond region 4 b. Since the second member 41 bends based on itselasticity, the end portion 49 of the second member 41 in the seat widthdirection can be fixed to the end portion 47 of the first member 40 inthe seat width direction, and thus the structure of the chamber 4 can besimplified.

A case where the chamber 4 is provided in the seat cushion 2 has beendescribed so far, but the chamber may be provided in a seat back 3 ofthe seat 1 as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11.

At least the seat-back-front-surface side of the chamber 6 provided inthe seat back 3 is covered with a pad made of a foam material such asurethane foam. In addition, the rear side opposite to theseat-back-front-surface side of the chamber 6 is supported by a supportbody such as a spring. When the load of the upper body of an occupant isapplied to the seat back 3, the chamber 6 can sink to the rear of theseat, which is the direction of load application.

The chamber 6 includes a first member 60 disposed on theseat-back-front-surface side and a second member 61 disposed on theseat-back-rear-surface side. The first member 60 and the second member61 are plate members made of a resin material such as polypropylene. Thefirst member 60 and the second member 61 are combined and an aircirculation space is formed between the first member 60 and the secondmember 61. The first member 60 is provided with a plurality of air holes62 which serve as outlets for air flowing through the circulation space.In addition, a boss 63 is provided on at least one of the first member60 and the second member 61 so that the circulation space is maintainedeven when the load of the upper body of the occupant is applied to theseat back 3. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, a plurality ofbosses 63 are provided on the first member 60 on theseat-back-front-surface side.

A lower region 61 of the chamber 6 located behind the occupant's waistis provided with a first region 6 a disposed on one side in the seatwidth direction and a second region 6 b disposed on the other side inthe seat width direction. The first region 6 a is located behind theoccupant's left waist and the second region 6 b is located behind theoccupant's right waist. The first region 6 a and the second region 6 bare configured to be able to bend and deform independently of each othertoward the rear of the seat, which is the acting direction of the loadof the upper body of the occupant with respect to the seat back 3.

First, the first member 60 of the chamber 6 on theseat-back-front-surface side is provided with slits 64 to 66 extendingin the up-down direction with an interval in the seat width direction.The slit 64 and the slit 65 interpose the first region 6 a in the seatwidth direction and the slit 65 and the slit 66 interpose the secondregion 6 b in the seat width direction.

The second member 61 on the seat-back-rear-surface side is more flexiblethan the first member 60. In addition, slits 68 are provided at endportions 67 of the first member 60 on both sides in the seat widthdirection and end portions 69 of the second member 61 on both sides inthe seat width direction are inserted into the slits 68. The end portion69 of the second member 61 inserted into the slit 68 is engaged with theend portion 67 of the first member 60 so as to be displaceable in theseat width direction with respect to the end portion 67 of the firstmember 60.

For example, when the occupant puts weight on the left waist and theload of the upper body of the occupant is mainly input to the firstregion 6 a in the lower region 61 of the chamber 6, the load input tothe first region 6 a is transmitted to the second member 61 through thebosses 63 of the first member 60. Based on the load transmitted to thesecond member 61, among the end portions 69 of the second member 61 onboth sides in the seat width direction, the end portions 69 on the firstregion 6 a side is drawn toward the center in the seat width direction.As a result, the second member 61 sinks toward the rear of the seat inthe first region 6 a and the first member 60 also sinks toward the rearof the seat in the first region 6 a. The second region 6 b separatedfrom the first region 6 a by the slit 65 of the first member 60 is notdragged by the sinking of the first region 6 a and the first region 6 abends independently of the second region 6 b.

In this way, since the first region 6 a and the second region 6 b can bebent and deformed independently of each other, lifting of the secondregion 6 b in conjunction with the sinking of the first region 6 a issuppressed, and thus the right waist of the occupant is also suppressedfrom being pushed out by the second region 6 b. Thus, the sittingcomfort of the seat 1 is increased.

The lower region 61 (first region 6 a and second region 6 b) of thechamber 6 and an upper region 6 u of the chamber 6 as a third regionarranged adjacent to the lower region 61 may be configured to be able tobend and deform in the acting direction of the load independently ofeach other. In this case, the first member 60 is provided with a pair ofslits which interpose the lower region 61 in the up-down direction ofthe seat and a pair of slits which interpose the upper region 6 u in theup-down direction of the seat.

The second member 61 may be an airtight sheet material havingelasticity. In this case, since the second member 61 bends based on itselasticity, the end portion of the second member 61 can be fixed to theend portion of the first member 60, and thus the structure of thechamber 6 can be simplified.

The invention has been described above by taking the seat installed in avehicle such as an automobile as an example. However, the invention isalso applicable to a vehicle seat other than the automobile such as aship or an aircraft.

As described above, a vehicle seat disclosed in the specificationincludes a chamber in which at least a seat-front-surface side iscovered with a pad and which circulates the air blown from a frontsurface of a seat through the pad, a fan which sends air into thechamber, and a support body which supports the chamber so as to be ableto sink in an acting direction of a load applied to the surface of theseat, where the chamber includes a first region located on one side in aseat width direction and a second region located on the other side inthe seat width direction and the first region and the second region canbend and deform independently of each other in the acting direction ofthe load.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the chamber includesa first member of a plate shape disposed on the seat-front-surface sideand a second member which is disposed on a seat-rear-surface side andforms an air circulation space with the first member, and the firstmember includes a pair of first slits provided to interpose the firstregion in the seat width direction and a pair of second slits providedto interpose the second region in the seat width direction.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the second member isa plate-shaped member which is more flexible than the first member, andend portions of the second member on both sides in the seat widthdirection engage with end portions of the first member on both sides inthe seat width direction so as to be displaceable in the seat widthdirection with respect to the end portions of the first member on bothsides in the seat width direction.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the second member isa sheet material having elasticity, and the end portions of the secondmember on both sides in the seat width direction are fixed to the endportions of the first member on both sides in the seat width direction.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the chamber furtherincludes a third region disposed adjacent to the first region and thesecond region, and the first region, the second region, and the thirdregion can bend and deform independently of each other in the actingdirection of the load.

A vehicle seat disclosed in the specification includes a chamber inwhich at least a seat-cushion-front-surface side is covered with a padand which circulates the air blown from a front surface of a seatcushion through the pad, a fan which sends air into the chamber, and asupport body which supports the chamber so as to be able to sink in anacting direction of a load applied to the front surface of the seatcushion, where the chamber includes a front region located on a frontportion of the seat cushion and a rear region located on a rear portionof the seat cushion, and the front region and the rear region can bendand deform independently of each other in the acting direction of theload.

A vehicle seat disclosed in the specification includes a chamber inwhich at least a seat-back-front-surface side is covered with a pad andwhich circulates the air blown from a front surface of a seat backthrough the pad, a fan which sends air into the chamber, and a supportbody which supports the chamber so as to be able to sink in an actingdirection of a load applied to the front surface of the seat back, wherethe chamber includes an upper region located on an upper portion of theseat back and a lower region located on a lower portion of the seatback, and the upper region and the lower region can bend and deformindependently of each other in the acting direction of the load.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a vehicle seat for explaining anembodiment of the invention.

A vehicle seat (hereinafter also simply referred to as a seat) 101Aillustrated in FIG. 12 is a seat 101A installed in a vehicle such as anautomobile, for example. The vehicle seat 101A includes a seat cushion102 which supports the buttocks and thighs of an occupant (hereinafterreferred to as a seated person) seated on the seat 101A and a seat back(not illustrated) which supports the waist and back of the seatedperson.

The seat cushion 102 includes a pad 121 made of a foam material such asurethane foam, a chamber 103A in which at least a front-surface side ofthe seat cushion 102 is covered with a pad, a fan 104 for sending airinto the chamber 103A, and a frame 105 which supports the pad 121 andthe chamber 103A. The air sent into the chamber 103A by the fan 104flows through the chamber 103A and is blown out from the surface of theseat cushion 102 through the pad 121. By blowing air from the surface ofthe seat cushion 102, the temperature and humidity of the surface of theseat cushion 102 in contact with a seated person are adjusted. The pad121 is covered with a trim cover made of leather, fabric, knittedfabric, or the like, and among those, when the trim cover is made ofleather, the trim cover is provided with a large number of air holes andthe air permeability of the trim cover is ensured.

The frame 105 includes a front frame 151 and a rear frame 153 whichconnect a pair of side frames (not illustrated) and a plurality ofsprings 152 suspended between the front frame 151 and the rear frame153. The front frame 151 is disposed below the pad 121 and the chamber103A on a front portion side of the seat cushion 102 and front portionsof the pad 121 and the chamber 103A are supported by the front frame151. The plurality of springs 152 are disposed below the pad 121 and thechamber 103A on a rear portion side of the seat cushion 102 and rearportions of the pad 121 and the chamber 103A are supported by theplurality of springs 152. The spring 152 is formed by bending a metalwire member into a wave shape and a planar shape and can be expanded andcontracted in a front-rear direction of the seat cushion 102.

In an example illustrated in FIG. 12, a part of a lower surface facing aspring 152 side at a rear portion of the chamber 103A is exposed and thefan 104 is directly attached to the exposed lower surface of the chamber103A. However, the attachment location of the fan 104 is notparticularly limited. The fan 104 may be connected to the chamber 103Avia a tube. In this case, the fan 104 can be attached to a lower portionof the front frame 151 or the rear frame 153, for example.

FIGS. 13 to 14B illustrate the chamber 103A.

The chamber 103A includes a front chamber 131 disposed on a front sideof the seat cushion 102 and a rear chamber 141 disposed on a rear sideof the seat cushion 102. Between the front chamber 131 and the rearchamber 141, a first movable portion M1 which allows the rear chamber141 to sink with respect to the front chamber 131 is provided. The frontchamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 are separate members and areconnected via the first movable part M1.

The front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 are made of a relativelyhard resin material and are formed in a substantially rectangular hollowplate shape. The internal space of the front chamber 131 and the rearchamber 41 circulates the air sent to the chamber 103 by the fan 104(see FIG. 12). In order to suppress the deformation of the front chamber131 and the rear chamber 141 with respect to the load, a plurality ofprotrusions may be provided on one or both of an upper wall and a lowerwall of the front chamber 131 so that the distance between the upperwall and the lower wall is maintained. Similarly, a plurality ofprotrusions may be provided on one or both of an upper wall and a lowerwall of the rear chamber 141 so that the distance between the upper walland the lower wall is maintained.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, the front chamber 131 has a fitting portion132 and the rear chamber 141 has a fitting portion 142. The fittingportion 132 of the front chamber 131 is an opening provided at the rearend portion of the front chamber 131 and the fitting portion 142 of therear chamber 141 is an opening provided at the front end portion of therear chamber 141. In the example illustrated in FIG. 14, the fittingportion 142 of the rear chamber 141 is accommodated in the fittingportion 132 of the front chamber 131, but the fitting portion 132 may beaccommodated in the fitting portion 142. By fitting the fitting portions132 and 142 to each other, the internal space of the front chamber 131through which air is circulated and the internal space of the rearchamber 141 are communicated. A large number of ventilation holes H areformed in the upper walls of the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber141 covered by the pad 121. The air sent into the chamber 103A by thefan 104 is blown out from those ventilation holes H, and then blown outfrom the surface of the seat cushion 102 through the pad 121.

The first movable portion M1 is constituted of the fitting portion 132of the front chamber 131 and the fitting portion 142 of the rear chamber141 which are fitted to each other. As illustrated in FIG. 14, in across section extending in the front-rear direction of the seat cushion102, that is, a cross section perpendicular to a width direction, thefitting portion 132 of the front chamber 131 and the fitting portion 142of the rear chamber 141 are formed in a concentric fan shape. Thefitting portion 142 of the rear chamber 141 is pivotable in acircumferential direction around a center O of the fan shape inside thefitting portion 132 of the front chamber 131. By pivoting the fittingportion 142, the rear chamber 141 can be inclined independently of thefront chamber 131 and the rear end portion of the rear chamber 141 islowered according to the inclination of the rear chamber 141.

In an example illustrated in FIG. 14, the fitting portion 132 of thefront chamber 131 arranged on the outside has an annular recess portion133 and the fitting portion 142 of the rear chamber 141 disposed on theinner side has an annular convex portion 143 which engages with theannular recess portion 133. In a cross section extending in thefront-rear direction of the seat cushion 102, the annular recess portion133 and the annular convex portion 143 are formed in a concentric fanshape and the centers of the annular recess portion 133 and the annularconvex portion 143 are the same as the center O of the fitting portion132 of the front chamber 131 and the fitting portion 142 of the rearchamber 141 which are also formed in a fan shape.

The annular convex portion 143 moves the annular recess portion 133integrally with the fitting portion 142 according to pivoting of thefitting portion 142 of the rear chamber 141. The annular convex portion143 abuts on a front end surface 133 a of the annular recess portion 133located on one side in a moving direction or a rear end surface 133 b ofthe annular recess portion 133 located on the other side. The abutmentbetween the annular convex portion 143 and the rear end surface 133 b ofthe annular recess portion 133 prevents the fitting portion 142 of therear chamber 141 from falling off the fitting portion 132 of the frontchamber 131. Further, due to the abutment between the annular convexportion 143 and the front end surface 133 a or the rear end surface 133b of the annular recess portion 133, the airtightness of the firstmovable portion M1 is enhanced, and thus the air flowing through theinner side of the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 isprevented from leaking from the first movable portion M1.

FIG. 15 illustrates the operation of the chamber 103A.

The load applied to the rear side of the seat cushion 102 which supportsthe buttocks of a seated person is greater than the load applied to thefront side of the seat cushion 102 which supports the thighs of theseated person. In addition, on the front side of the seat cushion 102,the pad 121 and the chamber 103A are rigidly supported by the frontframe 151, whereas on the rear side of the seat cushion 102 where arelatively large load is applied, the pad 121 and the chamber 103A areelastically supported by the plurality of springs 152. Therefore, therear side of the seat cushion 102 sinks below the front side of the seatcushion 102. In this case, the rear end portion of the rear chamber 141disposed on the rear side of the seat cushion 102 is pushed down and therear chamber 141 is inclined. However, the inclination of the rearchamber 141 is absorbed by the first movable portion M1 located betweenthe front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141, and the front endportion of the front chamber 131 is prevented from being lifted. Thus,the thighs of a seated person are prevented from being pressed by thefront end portion of the front chamber 131, and thus the sitting comfortis enhanced.

FIGS. 16A and 16B illustrate a modification example of the chamber 103A.

In an example illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 14B, the front chamber 131 andthe rear chamber 141 are separate members, but as illustrated in FIGS.16A and 16B, the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 may beintegrally formed. When the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141are integrally formed, the first movable portion M1 between the frontchamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 is formed in a bellows shape. Asthe first movable portion M1 expands and contracts in the front-reardirection and curves, the rear chamber 141 can sink with respect to thefront chamber 131. The first movable portion M1 which can expand andcontract in the front-rear direction and be bent may be formedintegrally with the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 made of arelatively soft resin material, for example, by two-color molding usinga relatively soft resin material.

By forming the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 integrally,the airtightness of the first movable portion M1 is further enhanced.Further, since the front chamber 131 and the rear chamber 141 areintegrally formed, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost of thechamber 103A are reduced.

FIGS. 17 to 18B illustrate another example of a vehicle seat forexplaining the embodiment of the invention.

The seat cushion of a vehicle seat 101B illustrated in FIG. 17 includesa chamber 103B in which at least the surface side of the seat cushion iscovered with a pad, similar to the vehicle seat 101A illustrated in FIG.12. The air sent into the chamber 103B by a fan circulates through thechamber 103B and is blown out from the surface of the seat cushionthrough the pad. The rear parts of the chamber 103B and the pad areelastically supported by a plurality of springs suspended between thefront frame and the rear frame of the seat cushion frame, and otherportions except for the rear portions of the chamber 103B and the padare rigidly supported by the seat cushion frame.

The chamber 103B includes a front chamber 131 and a rear chamber 141,and further has a pair of side chambers 161. Similar to the frontchamber 131 and the rear chamber 141, the side chamber 161 is made of arelatively hard resin material and is formed in a substantiallyrectangular hollow plate shape. The internal space of the side chamber161 circulates the air sent to the chamber 103B by the fan. The rearchamber 141 has a pair of extending portions 144 which extend upwardfrom both sides of the rear chamber 141. The side chamber 161 isprovided above the extending portion 144 of the rear chamber 141 and asecond movable portion M2 which allows the rear chamber 141 to sinkrelative to the side chamber 161 is provided between the rear chamber141 and the side chamber 161. The rear chamber 141 and the side chambers161 are separate members and are connected via the second movableportions M2.

As illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the side chamber 161 includes afitting portion 162 and the rear chamber 141 includes a fitting portion145. The fitting portion 162 of the side chamber 161 is an openingprovided at the lower end portion of the side chamber 161 and thefitting portion 45 of the rear chamber 141 is an opening provided at theupper end portion of the extending portion 144 of the rear chamber 141.In the example illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the fitting portion 145of the rear chamber 141 is accommodated in the fitting portion 162 ofthe side chamber 161, but the fitting portion 162 may be accommodated inthe fitting portion 145. By fitting the fitting portions 145 and 162 toeach other, the inner space of the rear chamber 141 through which air iscirculated and the inner space of the side chamber 161 communicate witheach other. A large number of ventilation holes H are formed in a sidewall of the side chamber 161 covered with the pad. The air blown intothe chamber 103B by the fan is blown out from those ventilation holes H,and then blown out from the surface of the seat cushion through the pad.

The second movable portion M2 is constituted of the fitting portion 145of the rear chamber 141 and the fitting portion 162 of the side chamber161 which are fitted to each other. As illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B,in the cross section extending in the front-rear direction of the seatcushion 102, that is, the cross section perpendicular to the widthdirection, the fitting portion 145 of the rear chamber 141 and thefitting portion 162 of the side chamber 161 are formed in a concentricfan shape. Inside the fitting portion 162 of the side chamber 161, thefitting portion 142 of the rear chamber 141 is pivotable in thecircumferential direction around the center O of the fan shape. Bypivoting of the fitting portion 145, the rear chamber 141 can beinclined independently of the side chamber 161 and the rear end portionof the rear chamber 141 is lowered according to the inclination of therear chamber 141.

Due to the load of a seated person, the rear side of the seat cushionsinks downward and the rear end portion of the rear chamber 141 disposedon the rear side of the seat cushion is pushed down, and thus the rearchamber 141 is inclined. However, the inclination of the rear chamber141 is absorbed by the second movable portion M2 located between therear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161, and thus the side chamber 161is prevented from being dragged by the rear chamber 141 and sinkingdownward.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the fitting portion 162of the side chamber 161 arranged on the outside includes an annularrecess portion 163 and the fitting portion 145 of the rear chamber 141disposed inside includes an annular convex portion 146 which engageswith the annular recess portion 163. In the cross section extending inthe front-rear direction of the seat cushion, the annular convex portion146 and the annular recess portion 163 are formed in a concentric fanshape and the centers of the annular convex portion 146 and the annularrecess portion 163 are the same as the center O of the fitting portion145 of the rear chamber 141 and the fitting portion 162 of the sidechamber 161 which are also formed in a fan shape.

The annular convex portion 146 moves the annular recess portion 163integrally with the fitting portion 145 according to the pivoting of thefitting portion 145 of the rear chamber 141. The annular convex portion146 abuts on an upper end surface 163 a of the annular recess portion163 located on one side in a moving direction or a lower end surface 163b of the annular recess portion 163 located on the other side. Theabutment between the annular convex portion 146 and the lower endsurface 163 b of the annular recess portion 163 prevents the fittingportion 145 of the rear chamber 141 from falling off the fitting portion162 of the side chamber 161. Further, due to the abutment between theannular convex portion 146 and the upper end surface 163 a or the lowerend surface 163 b of the annular recess portion 163, the airtightness ofthe second movable portion M2 is increased, and thus the air flowingthrough the rear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161 is prevented fromleaking from the second movable portion M2.

FIGS. 19A and 19B illustrate a modification example of the chamber 103B.

In the example illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 18B, the rear chamber 141 andthe side chamber 161 are separate members. However, as illustrated inFIGS. 19A and 19B, the rear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161 may beintegrally formed. When the rear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161are integrally formed, the second movable portion M2 between the rearchamber 141 and the side chamber 161 is formed in a bellows shape. Asthe second movable portion M2 expands and contracts in the up-downdirection and curves, the rear chamber 141 can sink with respect to theside chamber 161. The second movable portion M2 which can be expandedand contracted in the up-down direction and bent can be formedintegrally with the rear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161 made of arelatively soft resin material, for example, by two-color molding usinga relatively soft resin material.

By forming the rear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161 integrally, theairtightness of the second movable portion M2 is further enhanced.Further, since the rear chamber 141 and the side chamber 161 areintegrally formed, the number of parts and the manufacturing cost of thechamber 103B are reduced.

The invention has been described above by taking the seats 101A and 101Binstalled in a vehicle such as an automobile as an example. However, theinvention can also be applied to a seat for a vehicle other than theautomobile such as a ship or an aircraft.

As described above, a vehicle seat disclosed in the specificationincludes a chamber in which at least a front-surface side of a seatcushion is covered with a pad and which circulates the air blown from asurface of the seat cushion through the pad, a fan which sends air intothe chamber; and a frame which supports the pad and the chamber, wherethe frame includes a front frame disposed below the pad and the chamberon a front side of the seat cushion and a plurality of springs disposedbelow the pad and the chamber on a rear side of the seat cushion, andthe chamber includes a front chamber disposed on the front side of theseat cushion, a rear chamber disposed on the rear side of the seatcushion, and a first movable portion which is provided between the frontchamber and the rear chamber and allows the rear chamber to sink withregard to the front chamber.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the front chamberand the rear chamber are formed separately and respectively includesfitting portions which fit to each other, and the first movable portionis constituted by the fitting portion of the front chamber and thefitting portion of the rear chamber, and further in a cross sectionperpendicular to a width direction of the seat cushion, the fittingportion of the front chamber and the fitting portion of the rear chamberare formed in a fan shape, and still further the fitting portion of therear chamber is pivotable about a center of the fan shape with respectto the fitting portion of the front chamber.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, between the fittingportion of the front chamber and the fitting portion of the rearchamber, one fitting portion arranged on the outside includes an annularrecess portion and the other fitting portion includes an annular convexportion which engages with the annular recess portion.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the first movableportion is formed in a bellows shape which can expand and contract in afront-rear direction, and the front chamber, the rear chamber, and thefirst movable portion are integrally formed.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the chamber furtherincludes a pair of side chambers disposed on both sides of the seatcushion and a pair of second movable portions which are respectivelyprovided in portions between the rear chamber and the side chambers andallow the rear chamber to sink with regard to the pair of side chambers.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the rear chamber andthe side chambers are formed separately and respectively includesfitting portions which fit to each other, and the second movable portionis constituted by the fitting portion of the rear chamber and thefitting portion of the side chamber, and further in a cross sectionperpendicular to a width direction of the seat cushion, the fittingportion of the rear chamber and the fitting portion of the side chamberare formed in a fan shape, and still further the fitting portion of therear chamber is pivotable about a center of the fan shape with respectto the fitting portion of the side chamber.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, between the fittingportion of the rear chamber and the fitting portion of the side chamber,one fitting portion arranged on the outside includes an annular recessportion and the other fitting portion includes an annular convex portionwhich engages with the annular recess portion.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the specification, the second movableportion is formed in a bellows shape which can expand and contract in anup-down direction and the rear chamber, the pair of side chambers, andthe pair of second movable portions are integrally formed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle seat, comprising: a chamber in which atleast a seat-front-surface side is covered with a pad and whichcirculates the air blown from a front surface of a seat through the pad;a fan configured to send air into the chamber; and a support body whichsupports the chamber so as to be able to sink in an acting direction ofa load applied to the surface of the seat, wherein: the chamber includesa first region and a second region; the first region and the secondregion are configured to allow subduction of the chamber independentlyof each other; the support body includes: a front frame disposed belowthe pad and the chamber on a front side of the seat cushion; and aplurality of springs disposed below the pad and the chamber on a rearside of the seat cushion; the first region is a front chamber disposedon the front side of the seat cushion; the second region is a rearchamber disposed on the rear side of the seat cushion; and a firstmovable portion which is provided between the front chamber and the rearchamber and allows the rear chamber to sink with regard to the frontchamber.
 2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein: the frontchamber and the rear chamber are formed separately and respectivelyincludes fitting portions which fit to each other; the first movableportion is constituted by the fitting portion of the front chamber andthe fitting portion of the rear chamber; in a cross sectionperpendicular to a width direction of the seat cushion, the fittingportion of the front chamber and the fitting portion of the rear chamberare formed in a fan shape; and the fitting portion of the rear chamberis pivotable about a center of the fan shape with respect to the fittingportion of the front chamber.
 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2,wherein: one fitting portion, of the fitting portion of the frontchamber and the fitting portion of the rear chamber, arranged on theoutside includes an annular recess portion, and the other fittingportion includes an annular convex portion which engages with theannular recess portion.
 4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,wherein: the first movable portion is formed in a bellows shape which isconfigured to expand and contract in a front-rear direction; and thefront chamber, the rear chamber, and the first movable portion areintegrally formed.
 5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein thechamber further includes: a pair of side chambers disposed on both sidesof the seat cushion; and a pair of second movable portions which arerespectively provided between the rear chamber and the side chambers andallow the rear chamber to sink with respect to the pair of sidechambers.
 6. The vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein: the rearchamber and the side chambers are formed separately and respectivelyfitting portions which fit to each other; the second movable portion isconstituted by the fitting portion of the rear chamber and the fittingportion of the side chamber; in a cross section perpendicular to a widthdirection of the seat cushion, the fitting portion of the rear chamberand the fitting portion of the side chamber are formed in a fan shape;and the fitting portion of the rear chamber is pivotable about a centerof the fan shape with respect to the fitting portion of the sidechamber.
 7. The vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein between thefitting portion of the rear chamber and the fitting portion of the sidechamber, one fitting portion arranged on the outside includes an annularrecess portion and the other fitting portion includes an annular convexportion which engages with the annular recess portion.
 8. The vehicleseat according to claim 5, wherein: the second movable portion is formedin a bellows shape which is configured to expand and contract in anup-down direction; and the rear chamber, the pair of side chambers, andthe pair of second movable portions are integrally formed.